Today, businesses operate through loans and investment. They often don't have the funds to get started or support day-to-day operations, so they have to rely on extractive financial arrangements -- which raises the costs for everybody involved. (Interest payments on loans, returns to investors.)
What if, instead, producers could get what they need, from the people who want what they're making?
Give people the opportunity to buy products and services in advance — which gives producers the resources they need, and gives their customers discounts, while helping bring products and services to life.
A voucher.
Vouchers can be used to raise money for new products and services, support established businesses in the neighborhood and the online world, and a whole lot more.
Want to see some examples? Explore below, and try creating a voucher of your own.
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🎟️ 1 month subscription for "Better Worlds" newsletter
$0.50 per voucher
Plenty available Buy vouchersA new e-book, with a star-studded vocal cast, based on the best selling book by Ronna Blank.
🎟️ 1 DRM-free "Land of the Wild Grazers" e-book, in .mp3 format
$7.00 per voucher
Plenty available Buy vouchersA hot pizza pie from your favorite oven on the block, whenever you like — in the restaurant, delivery, or takeout.
🎟️ 1 large pizza with choice of 2 toppings
$3.00 per voucher
420 of 500 vouchers available Buy vouchersRaising money to buy 300W solar panels in bulk. Solar panels come as is, not including installation. (Many people are planning on ground installation with wooden frames.)
🎟️ 1 x 300W Solar Panel (no installation included)
$120 per voucher
1564 of 2048 available Buy vouchersVouchers are store credits, usable for anything you buy in the store.
🎟️ $1.00 for purchases from Julia's Hardware Store
$0.90 per voucher
7300 of 10000 vouchers available Buy vouchersHave you ever seen an existing business, offering a product/service on a crowdfunding website that already exists? To raise funds for everyday operations, by offering discounted access to its customers?
Have you ever seen people buying multiple copies of a crowdfunding reward as gifts for friends and family? (Can you even do that?)
This is what vouchers are for. To provide resources for producers, by offering discounts to their customers.
They aren't some transactions stored in a database with your email address. Vouchers are more like coupons, that you can clip out of the newspaper. They're stored with you, and you can do anything you want with them, no platform required. Redeem them, give them to friends and family, etc. It's as simple as copy+pasting some text -- similar to handing someone a coupon from the newspaper!
This is all meant to put makers, businesses, and people first. (After all, I'm one of them!) The application is actively being built to get out of the way, and the impetus is the decay of financial protocols and institutions in the world around us. There's nothing new about vouchers -- it's just high-time we get back to using them.
If you're reading this, you're seeing a first demo to give an idea and communicate the concept. (It does work, for creating projects, issuing vouchers, displaying your vouchers you have saved locally.) If you could be interested in selling vouchers for anything you produce -- whether media/content, fundraising for new projects, or fundraising as an existing business/producer -- or are otherwise interested in connecting on this, send a note to vouchers@sambutler.us or fill out this brief form. Be in touch!